WASHINGTON COUNTY, Mo. (KSDK) - Three people were killed Friday morning in a multi-vehicle wreck in the northbound lanes of Highway 185, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

According to the MSHP, the accident occurred on Highway 185 about a half-mile north of Highway EE, near the Franklin County line. A pickup truck was traveling northbound and tried to pass another car on a hill crest, but collided head-on with a southbound passenger vehicle.

The people inside the passenger vehicle, a man and two women, were killed. The driver of the truck was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

The highway was closed in both directions while authorities responded to investigate.

NewsChannel 5 will have more information on this story as it becomes available.